In a significant relief for Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the Directorate of Enforcement (ED)’s plea to revoke the bail of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader, affirming the Jharkhand High Court’s decision. Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan of the Supreme Court stated, “We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned order.”
The Supreme Court emphasized that the High Court’s observations related to bail would not influence the trial judge during the trial or any other proceedings. Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the ED, argued for the cancellation of Soren’s bail. However, the Supreme Court noted, “We don’t want to observe anything more and if we observe, you might be in difficulty.” The court highlighted the High Court’s well-reasoned judgment and referenced a recent speech by the Chief Justice of India in Bangalore, pointing out that trial courts often play it safe when granting bail.
The ED had approached the Supreme Court, challenging the Jharkhand High Court’s decision to grant bail to Hemant Soren in a money laundering case related to a land scam. Soren, arrested by the ED in January on charges of involvement in the scam and money laundering, was accused of generating substantial illegal proceeds through the forgery of official records involving fake sellers and buyers to acquire large parcels of land.
Following his arrest and subsequent resignation as Chief Minister, Soren was granted bail by the Jharkhand High Court and later reinstated as Chief Minister. He won a trust vote with the support of 45 MLAs during a special session of the state assembly and was sworn in as the 13th Chief Minister of Jharkhand on July 4.
Hemant Soren was released from Birsa Munda Jail on June 28 after nearly five months in custody. Champai Soren, who had taken over as Chief Minister following Hemant’s arrest, resigned, paving the way for Hemant Soren to resume his role. In a previous video message, Hemant Soren accused the BJP of making false allegations against him to remove him from office.
“In the 2019 Jharkhand Assembly Elections, the people of Jharkhand gave our party mandate but the conspirators were unable to digest how an Adivasi youngster can sit in such a high position. At last, on January 31, they (the BJP) made false allegations against me and removed me from the post of Chief Minister. Because of the people’s blessings, I’m out here sitting in front of you. We will always be the voice of the people. Today, the public opinion of the people of Jharkhand will rise again. By taking charge, the work will be carried out again,” he said.
Hemant Soren’s return as Chief Minister is expected to strengthen the JMM, which won three seats in the tribal-dominated state of Jharkhand in the Lok Sabha elections. In the 2019 assembly elections, the JMM, in alliance with the Congress and Lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), secured a comfortable majority with 47 seats in the 81-member house.